Adam Morgan’s Sprawl ‘N Brawl (MMA News Roundup)
October 9, 2008 by Adam Morgan
Filed under commentary
It’s been a busy week in MMA with the big story of the week being the “bribe” that Seth Petruzelli may or may not have received to keep the fight wiith Kimbo on the feet. But that wasn’t the only big story this week. Michael Wilbon, of ESPN’s PTI, thinks the Kimbo fight was fixed, Wagnney Fabiano has an opponent for December 3rd’s WEC show, Junie Browning is a moron, and lots more. Let’s break it all down, shall we?
Michael Wilbon thinks the Kimbo Slice fight was fixed
Seriously? Fixed? Petruzelli accepting money to keep the fight standing is at least believable. But a fixing the fight in Petruzelli’s favor has to be the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard yet. Why on Earth would EliteXC fix a fight in a way that works against them? If they were going to fix the fight don’t you think they’d at least fix it in their favor? Don’t you think they’d fix it so that it’s Kimbo, their star, coming out on top instead of a UFC washout? I respect Michael Wilbon a sportswriter. He’s one of the best in the game. But he has no clue what he’s talking about here. He said that the punch that knocked Kimbo down was “a more phantom punch than Ali had to knock out Liston in that fight in 1965.” First of all, if you look at the Ali tape that’s not a phantom punch. Second of all, again, Wilbon has no idea what he’s looking at. That makes him unqualified to give his opinion on the topic. The fact that he has such a huge forum to voice his terribly wrong opinion is a shame.
Petruzelli, after his 14 second TKO victory over Kimbo Slice, came on the radio the next day and said that he received money from EliteXC in order to keep the fight standing. Then he went back on those remarks and said that he was talking about a knockout bonus, not a bribe as it was being described. My take? Who cares anymore? Is it a big issue if there’s fight fixing going on? Yes. But if the commission doesn’t do anything about it then why are we still whining about it? There’s no hard evidence that Petruzelli was bribed. There’s nothing to suggest that it wasn’t just a mistake on his part saying what he said on an early morning radio show. There’s also no evidence to suggest that it wasn’t a mistake. It is what it is and I’m tired of hearing about it. It has dominated the headlines this week, overshadowing an event that was very good on almost every level.
Junie Browning is a freaking moron
Usually I don’t touch on TUF in this space but I have to make special exception for one Junie Allen Browning. Junie is Chris Leben, Jesse Taylor, and Marlon Sims rolled into one huge ball of redneck. Junie is white trash. Period. Why he’s still in the house I have no idea. He threw a glass at a fighter and cut his arm for christ’s sake. He is totally out of control even when he’s not drinking. Jumping over the cage after Efrain won his fight over Shane Nelson is totally freaking bush league. The kid may be a good fighter. He may be tough as nails. But when it comes to maturity and the UFC lifestyle he’s clearly not ready for it. If Jesse Taylor got kicked out of the UFC for his incident then Junie deserves the same fate. He’s a disgrace to the UFC and everything that they have strived towards in the past few years. If you want to let an idiot like Junie represent your company then so be it. But don’t bitch and moan when people say that MMA fighters are a bunch of street thugs. Because that’s what Junie is.
Wagnney Fabiano to fight Akitoshi Tamura in WEC on December 3
The WEC rules. That’s all there is to it. They are a hardcore fan’s dream. They have no problem going out and signing the best talent in the world at 145 lbs. and 135 lbs. and then making the best guys fight one another. This is two top ten 145 lbs. fighters going head to head in Fabiano’s first fight in the UFC. I love it. If there was ever any doubt that WEC is becoming the premiere spot for lighter weight fighters, it’s quickly being dispelled.
Nick Diaz and Eddie Alvarez to fight for vacant EliteXC 160 lbs. crown
This is a great fight. Unfortunately for those of us who wanted to see Noons vs. Diaz II we may have to wait awhile but this fight is a fantastic replacement and maybe even a better fight than Noons vs. Diaz. Alvarez has very good wrestling and great standup. Diaz has good standup and great jiu jitsu. I think Alvarez will dismantle Diaz over three rounds by stuffing his shots, keeping it on the feet and being the quicker, more agile, and more powerful puncher. But if Diaz does get it to the ground, either on top or on bottom, look out. Great fight with a lot of potential and one that we should all be looking forward to.
That wraps it up for this week’s edition of Sprawl ‘N Brawl. Be sure to tune in each and every day here at Five Ounces of Pain for the freshest MMA news, the best exclusives in the game, and the most opinionated opinions (?) in the business. Or something. Basically, keep it tuned to 5 Oz., people. We got good things happenin’.
if you don’t know why junie is still on the show you’re thinking too much MMA and not enough business and rating. he’s horrible for the sport, but great for ratings… and its extremely depressing that its the ratings that matter more than how the sport will be seen by mainstream media.
I agree the Alvarez Diaz fight should be very entertaining,and Tamura will be no pushover for Fabiano.Why does anyone take anything the guys on PTI with Wilbon and Kornheiser and that dumb Around the Horn seriously.The shows are like tabloid sports shows that only want to stir the pot and get people worked up.
the reason Junie is on the show is because Dana’s ethics and standards are more flexible than something that’s really flexible. He known people will watch the trains wreck that is Junie. But one has to think, maybe Jesse Taylor had a valid point when he talked about how Rampage was treated differently than he was.
“Junie is Chris Leben, Jesse Taylor, and Marlon Sims rolled into one huge ball of redneck.” great line
The Ali shot wasn’t phantom, and neither was Seth’s, but they both were pretty damn weak looking. If anything, they legitimize eachother because it shows a precedent for catching someone just right.
I,. for the record, by no means think that that Kimbo has a glass jaw. I don’t think he’s a very good fighter at all yet, but people saying he has a completely glass jaw are crazy or bias, I think.
Adam,
I loved your description of that idiot TUF fighter on this season…”Junie is Chris Leben, Jesse Taylor, and Marlon Sims rolled into one huge ball of redneck. Junie is white trash. Period.” I could not have described it any better or any more accurate than that…..